New flats maybe.

[Wootsticks]

Okay, so I have a year-and-a-half old set of chromes on my P, and I'm looking for a new sound. I want that flatwound sound but not thumpy. I've heard a lot of good about TI jazz, but how do they age? Yes I know they are low tension.

Any suggestions to other brands?

[Pilgrim]

Geez, the ones you have are just getting good!

About the TIs, no opinion - others will help.

[62bass]

Originally Posted by Wootsticks

Okay, so I have a year-and-a-half old set of chromes on my P, and I'm looking for a new sound. I want that flatwound sound but not thumpy. I've heard a lot of good about TI jazz, but how do they age? Yes I know they are low tension.

Any suggestions to other brands?

The TI flats will give you a new sound, they sound like flatwounds, are not thumpy but warm with some brightness to them, and they age beautifully. The set on my old P bass are 8 years old now and have been played a lot. I was thinking of maybe changing them for a new set but they sound so good, why bother?

[Deacon_Blues]

I have a ~1 month old set of Steve Harris signature rotosound flats on my fretted Jazz (CIJ ´62 reissue with original MIA fender pickups). The strings are quite thick (E string = .110) and the tension is very high. I was even afraid to tune them up all the way to standard tuning... I bought them originally because I wanted to tune DGCF, but I tuned up to standard tuning anyway after a while. I just had to tighten the trussrod first.

So far I like the sound of these strings, both in D and E tuning. They're still quite bright so even slapping (but not popping) sounds good to my ears; just perfectly lo-fi for my taste.

I have TI's on my Squier vintage modified fretless jazz. They have a much lower tension but they sound good, but more DB-like.

I think as a general rule the lower tension, the thumpier the sound, so I'd go for a set with higher tension if I wanted a less thumpy sound. I just have to add that I don't have much experience in flats so I might be wrong. It's only my engineer mind that want to think it's like this...

I have also once tried a light set of Chromes on a fretless P that I borrowed from a friend of mine a year ago, and they a had quite high tension as well.

[Darkstrike]

TI's just get better as they age, thats nothing to worry about.

[62bass]

Originally Posted by Deacon_Blues

I have a ~1 month old set of Steve Harris signature rotosound flats on my fretted Jazz (CIJ ´62 reissue with original MIA fender pickups). The strings are quite thick (E string = .110) and the tension is very high. I was even afraid to tune them up all the way to standard tuning... I bought them originally because I wanted to tune DGCF, but I tuned up to standard tuning anyway after a while. I just had to tighten the trussrod first.

So far I like the sound of these strings, both in D and E tuning. They're still quite bright so even slapping (but not popping) sounds good to my ears; just perfectly lo-fi for my taste.

I have TI's on my Squier vintage modified fretless jazz. They have a much lower tension but they sound good, but more DB-like.

I think as a general rule the lower tension, the thumpier the sound, so I'd go for a set with higher tension if I wanted a less thumpy sound. I just have to add that I don't have much experience in flats so I might be wrong. It's only my engineer mind that want to think it's like this...

I have also once tried a light set of Chromes on a fretless P that I borrowed from a friend of mine a year ago, and they a had quite high tension as well.

The Thomastic flats are lower tension but they are not thumpier. I've been using them for more than 8 years on all my basses. Compared to others they are livelier, have a brighter attack and a more resonant sound. I've been playing on many different brands and types of strings over the past 48 years. The Thomastics are my favourite.

[kraigo]

To each their own, but I hated the TI flats on my 55-01. I've used Lakland Joe Osborn flats (stainless steel) for about a decade now and love them on my fretless five string and on my Tokai P-Bass. I usually get a hybrid set that are the lighter weight on the (B,)E&A strings and the heavier weight on the D&G. For a (6+ years) long time I had the lighter weight set on the fretless but ultimately I decide that the G string was too light. Well, that and a friend borrowed it and forced the issue - broke the G string.

To be fair, I've just taken the same JO strings off the 55-01 because I wanted to go to rounds on it. Still, I don't like the big, fat B string. The TI's aren't for me at any rate.

I've also put Fender branded stainless steel flats on a couple of old fretlesses ('69 Fender P and a '79 Stingray) and didn't particularly care for them. I've got a set still in packaging in my basement still and will probably give them another go, but they don't seem right to me.

KO

[derelicte]

Originally Posted by Wootsticks

Okay, so I have a year-and-a-half old set of chromes on my P, and I'm looking for a new sound. I want that flatwound sound but not thumpy. I've heard a lot of good about TI jazz, but how do they age? Yes I know they are low tension.

Any suggestions to other brands?

I was on the prowl for new flats too. I went with TI Flats and never looked back. They sound and feel great. I prefer a low action and just enough "thump/deadness/whatever" that flats give you. The TI's are bright enough and although they mellow out a bit after more use, they tone is great. With a good preamp and eq'ing u can get it to sound whichever way u want really. If you're dissatisfied with the 'thump', try lowering your gain and inc your volume. A good tube amp helps.

As for the 'low tension', don't let others' reviews and sensitivity about that bother you. I find they're mostly exaggerating. The tension is FINE. If you find it hard to play, it's just a clash with your style/technique.

I was also looking at Labella Deep Talking bass strings. These are awesome too. They were a used pair i got so obviously it didn't have that stickiness to it that new flats tend to have. Just been too busy loving the TI's to play more with the Labella's tho.